Why We Ask for an Hour With Your Dog Before the Ceremony

One of the first things we'll ask when we plan your day is for an hour with your dog before the ceremony starts. It's time well spent. That hour gets your dog settled, comfortable with us, and ready for their part in the day.

Wedding mornings can be a lot for a dog

By the time we arrive, your morning has been going for hours. There are people coming and going, hair and make-up, flowers arriving, someone looking for the rings. Some dogs love every minute of it. Others find it a bit much, and the early signs are easy to miss when you have a hundred other things to think about.

The Dogs Trust has a helpful guide to the signs a dog may be stressed, and it's worth a read before your wedding day whether or not you're working with us.

Either way, we're a new face. In most cases we'll be meeting your dog for the very first time on the morning of your wedding, so that hour is about the two of us getting to know each other properly.

It works both ways. Your dog learns that we're friendly, that we come with treats, and that we're not going to rush them. We learn how they like to be greeted, what makes them light up, whether they're bold or take a little longer to trust someone new. All of that shapes how we look after them for the rest of the day.

We let your dog come to us

We've usually never met your dog before, and they've certainly never met us.

So we don't approach them. We sit down on the floor, and we wait. No reaching out, no direct eye contact, no bending over them — all of which can feel confronting to a dog who isn't sure about you yet. We let them make the decision.

Some dogs are in our laps within seconds. Others take a few minutes of circling and sniffing before they commit. Both are fine. What matters is that your dog chose to come over, rather than being introduced to a stranger they had no say about.

We'll have treats, and we'll ask you beforehand about their favourite toy, so that first interaction is a good one.

The Kensignton Photographer

A walk, and a toilet break

Once your dog is comfortable with us, we take them out.

This does several things at once. It burns off some of the morning's nervous energy. It gives us time together away from the noise, which is where the real bond forms. And it means we know your dog has been to the toilet before they walk down an aisle in front of a hundred people.

That last one sounds unglamorous. It is also the difference between a relaxed ceremony and an anxious one.

Rabbit House Studio

Getting your dog used to the ceremony space.

Before guests are seated, we take your dog into the ceremony space.

We walk the aisle with them so the route is familiar. We check the flowers and decorations for anything that might startle them or that they shouldn't be near. We look at the floor. polished wood and slippery surfaces unsettle a lot of dogs. We find the quiet corner we'll retreat to if it's needed.

By the time your ceremony begins, your dog has already been in that room, walked that aisle, and found it perfectly ordinary.

Pink Wave Photography

Why the hour is worth it

By the time your ceremony starts, your dog isn't with a stranger any more. They've met us, walked with us, taken treats from us, and worked out that we're good company. That's what lets them relax into the day.

It matters to us too. That hour is where we learn who your dog is, and everything we do for the rest of the day comes from what we pick up in it.

It isn't complicated. It's a proper introduction and a bit of unhurried time together, which is what anyone needs when meeting someone new. A wedding day doesn't leave much of that spare unless you plan it in.

So we plan it in. One hour, at the start, that belongs entirely to your dog.

Planning your wedding with your dog there? We'd love to hear about them. Get in touch and we'll arrange a video call to talk through your day.